Phnom Penh

It was a quick flight from Singapore to Phnom Penh.  Once again we arrived late afternoon and needed to eat.  We read about a vegan restaurant called Backyard Cafe a few blocks from our hotel and are happy we decided to try it. 

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The Palace Gate Hotel was across the street from the Royal Palace.  Our guide had an animated English accent that made us smile each time he reminded us that the current king is a bachelor (and former ballet dancer).  The king was in residence because the blue flag was flying in the courtyard.  The colorful uniforms represent the days of the week for the palace: red for Sunday, orange for Monday, etc.  

 

We set off for lunch at Marsala Dosa. The walk to the restaurant was near the palace and the roads were closed to traffic. 

After eating, we walked the nearby streets.  We saw a few monkeys crossing the road by telephone wires and marveled at the complex web of  wires at most intersection.  Our hotel was near a Buddhist school so we often saw monks around the neighborhood.

We wondered into a few of the local markets. The fruits and veggies always look delicious but not the meats, poultry and fish.

At night the area was busier-there were women dancing, men playing soccer and families sitting around.

Wat Phnom Buddhist Temple sits on a 27m tree-covered knoll.  It is the only “hill” in the city and the pagoda is thought to have been built in 1372 as the first pagoda to house four statues of Buddha discovered in the Mekong River by Lady Penh.  It was late afternoon and there were numerous people coming to pray.  

Words cannot describe the emotions felt at the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center and Toul Sleng S21.  These two sites are a reminder to visitors of the dark times in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979 under the Pol Pot-led Khmer Rouge regime. In what survivors describe as overnight,  personal possessions were confiscated, money abolished and family ties severed.  The population was sent to work the land under appalling conditions and millions were systematically killed during the four year reign of the Khmer Rogue. The tour through one of more than 300 killing fields was sobering. 

Toul Sleng – S21 Genocide Museum was a school that was transformed into a political prison.  The number of Cambodians detained at S-21 grew as Pol Pot and the top commanders paranoia increased. The prisoners were either tortured to death or sent to nearby Choeung Ek for ‘re-education,” ie executed.  Based on photos and other documents, it is estimated that there were 12,272 detained at S-21.  There were only seven known survivors; we met one of them.  Our guide shared stories of her own family.  She was only twelve when separated from her six siblings and parents.  She believes she is the only survivor. Many Cambodians have a personal story of their families horror. We have heard just a few, and it has touched our lives. We will not forget these tragedies. It should be said that it is truly remarkable the resistance of this country and people. 

The National Musuem of Cambodia was a beautiful building filled with artifacts. The supporting documents and information about many of the pieces were destroyed during the Khmer Rouge regime. The audio tour gave descriptions and shared what information was known about more than 200 pieces.  There were signs saying no photography but once inside the museum cameras seemed to be allowed.  We especially like the cat walking through the exhibition. 

We spent our final afternoon doing a tour of Silk Island. We were concerned it would be too touristy and actually the silk community was, but the information about silk worms and watching the women weaving was interesting. 

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The rest of our tour was a walk through a field and around the five communities or neighborhoods with a local.  We met his mother when we passed his house and saw his sister ride by on a moped (no photos).  It rained so it was a little muddy but a lot of fun!